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Text 2C. Places to see

There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St. Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It is Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece. It stands at the top of Ludgate Hill on a site where a Christian church has stood since the 7th century. The construction of the Cathedral started in 1675, and was not finished until 1709, and was the fifth church put on the same place. The magnificent classical structure is crowned by the dome. Inside the dome are scenes from the life of St. Paul. Here is the famous Gallery of Whispers which runs round the dome. It is called this way because if someone whispers close to the wall on one side, a person with an ear close to the wall on the other side can hear what is said. Then, if you climb another 118 steps, you will be able to stand outside the dome and look over London.

But not only can you climb up, you can also go down underneath the cathedral, into the crypt. Here are buried many great men, including Christopher Wren himself, Nelson, Wellington and others.

The Tower of London is also situated in the City. It has been closely associated with many important events of the English history. It has served as citadel, palace, prison, mint, and menagerie. In 1066 the Normans built a castle on the edge of London, in the southeastern corner of the old Roman city walls. The Normans joined up the walls with a ditch and fence to make a yard, in which they probably built a wooden tower. About ten years later William the Conqueror ordered the building of the great stone tower, later called the White Tower. The Tower is famous for its illustrious prisoners, such as Sir Thomas More and Guy Fawkes. Many notable people lost their heads on the executioner's block. Now the Tower is simply Britain's most famous and most visited historic building. It is a museum now. More and more visitors come to see the ancient armour and weapons and the Crown Jewels. The history of London is closely connected with the Tower. They say that London is the key to England and the Tower is the key to London. The Tower is guarded by the Yeoman Warders popularly known as Beefeaters. They still wear their old bright and colourful Tudor uniforms.

The great glory of Westminster is, of course, the Abbey. It is the historic building to which every visitor goes sooner or later.

King Edward the Confessor decided to build a great abbey church here. It was consecrated in 1065, but a week later the King died and was buried in the abbey. His tomb became a popular place of pilgrimage. It can still be found at the heart of the present Westminster Abbey. William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey and since then all the Coronations have taken place here. When Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, the ritual was essentially the same although the architectural setting had changed. If you have never visited the Abbey before, try to go in slowly and look about carefully. For the immediate effect, as you follow the wonderfully vaulted roof along the length of the nave, is a startling and breathtaking beauty. There is an element of greatness here that is not just concerned with size and height.

Westminster Abbey is in the centre of London. Many great Englishmen are buried in the Abbey: Newton, Darvin, Watt and others. The Abbey contains many royal tombs, memorials to eminent men and women. But the most popular ones are those of writers, actors, and musicians in Poet's corner.

The Houses of Parliament constitute perhaps the most popular and widely spread image of London, known and recognized throughout the whole world. In this famous palace are also many meeting halls and various parliamentary offices.

The present Houses of Parliament were built after the old palace was burnt down in 1834. The building contains the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two chambers where parliamentary business is debated. On the corner next to Westminster Bridge stands Clock Tower, which houses the famous bell Big Ben.

The foundation stone of the new building, designed by Sir Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin, was laid in 1840, and Queen Victoria opened First Parliament there in 1849. The new Palace of Westminster extends over 8 acres of ground, contains 11 quadrangles, and includes 1,000 rooms and 100 staircases.

The Palace of Westminster, together with Victoria Tower and the Clock Tower − which houses the most famous clock in the world Big Ben − form an unmistakable architectural complex.

The Houses of Parliament can be visited by the public. The entrance is through the door located at the foot of Victoria Tower and next to the Royal Arch. Visitors start at the Royal Gallery and then go to the House of Lords. Here there is the historical Woolsack, where the Lord Chancellor takes his place to preside over the sittings. From here, visitors proceed towards the Central Corridor, crossing the Antechamber of the Lords. The historical frescos that decorate the walls of the Central Corridor are very interesting. Passing from here visitors arrive at the Antechamber of the Commons and then continue to the actual Commons itself. At the end of the House of Commons is the Speaker's Chair, on the right side of which the members of the parliamentary majority sit. The members of the groups that form the Opposition sit on the left, directly facing the Government benches.

The clock nicknamed ‘ Big Ben ’ came into service in 1859. It chimes the hours to the tune of Handel's music. Big Ben is the biggest clock bell in Britain. It weighs 13.5 tons.

The Clock Tower is 318 feet high. You have to go up 374 steps to reach the top. So the clock looks small from the pavement below the tower. The four clock dials are 22.2 feet in diameter, the hour hands are nine feet long, and the minute hands are 14 feet. The bell weighs 13.2 tons and the hammer, which strikes it, weighs 8 tons.

The clock bell was called Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was given the job of having the bell hoisted up. Sir Benjamin was a very tall and stout man, whose nickname was ‘Big Ben’. One day he said in Parliament, ‘Shall we call the bell St. Stephen's? St. Stephen is the name of the tower’. But someone joked, ‘Why not call it Big Ben?’ Now the bell is known all over the world by that name.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official London residence. Built in 1702–1705 for the Duke of Buckingham, it was sold in 1761 to king George III. The Palace was little used by royalty until Victoria's accession to the throne in 1837. When the Queen is here, the Royal Standard flutters over the palace. The absence of the Royal Standard over the east front of Buckingham Palace means that the Queen is absent from London. Above the State Entrance is the central balcony where the Royal Family appears on occasions of national importance. The Royal Mews, in Buckingham Palace Road, house the coaches and horses used on all state occasions and are open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday. The Queen's Gallery, also in Buckingham Palace Road, has special exhibitions from the Royal collection and may be visited every day except Monday. In its entirety, the Palace and the beautiful gardens that surround it occupy an area of approximately 40 acres.

The ceremony of the Changing of the Guard that takes place daily at eleven o'clock in the morning constitutes one of the pageants that provoke most interest among tourists. Every day large crowds of people gather to see this famous and traditional ceremony. It is an event that, in spite of its regularity, appears vested with that solemn classical ritual, of purely British flavour, that confers on the protocol surrounding the monarchy of the United Kingdom an appearance which is nobly aristocratic, and yet lively and popular at the same time. It is something typically and intimately part of London's character.

Trafalgar Square is in the centre of the West End of London. This is one of the nerve-centres of London. It was named Trafalgar Square to commemorate the historical naval victory won on the 21st of October, 1805, by the British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson over the combined French-Spanish fleet commanded by Villeneuve. The battle took place at Cape Trafalgar in the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar and lasted several hours. Nelson was fatally wounded by a shot, which broke his backbone. He died on board his flagship ‘Victory’, but not before being told that he had won the battle.

Nelson's Column, with the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson on top, rises in the centre of Trafalgar Square. It was erected in the 1840s. This most impressive monument is 170 feet (about 52 m) tall. The statue of Nelson itself, placed facing towards the sea he loved, measures 17 feet (more than 5 m) in height. On the pedestal are bronze relieves cast from a captured French cannon, representing Nelson's most famous victories. The four bronze lions are the work of the English architect of Landseer.

Trafalgar Square is one of the busiest places in London. Quite often the square becomes the location for meetings and in it crowds of Londoners congregate to celebrate political rallies. So it can be said that Trafalgar Square is the heart from which the beat is emitted to all the Londoners.

During the rush hours, when people go to and from their work, it is hardly possible to cross the streets. At that time the quickest transport is the Underground railway. All other traffic is slowed down by crowds of people and all kinds of vehicles.

There are many pigeons in the square and Londoners like to feed them. Everybody knows that the dove is the symbol of peace all over the world.

Besides Buckingham Palace and the Tower there are several palaces of interest in London. St. James's Palace on The Mall, just north of St. James's Park, is one of the oldest and most historic ones. It was commissioned in 1530 by Henry VIII and from 1698, when the Whitehall Palace was destroyed by fire; it became the principal residence of the monarch in London and the administrative centre of the monarchy. St. James's Palace is still a working palace, and the Royal Court is still formally based there − foreign ambassadors are accredited to − the Court of St. James's, even though they are received by the monarch at Buckingham Palace.

Hampton Court Palace on the Thames was built by the Cardinal Wolsey and then rebuilt and taken over by Henry VIII. Most of its historical significance is connected to this king; it is also the site of the world-famous Hampton Court Palace hedge maze.

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens. Now it is a home for some members of the royal family. The building was constructed in early 17th century and then improved and extended by Sir Christopher Wren.

St. Paul's is London's main cathedral, but the city has other beautiful churches, many of which were planned and built after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren. Among the most well-known of Wren's London churches are St. Bride on Fleet Street, St. Clement Danes on the Strand, St. Mary-le-Bow in Cheapside, and St. Lawrence Jewry.

London has many beautiful squares but, unlike Trafalgar square, most of them originally were planned as private communal gardens for the inhabitants of the surrounding houses. Some of these gardens are now open to the public, but many are not. One of the typical town squares is Berkeley Square in the West End, laid out in the mid-18th century. It is named after the noble family of the same name whose London home, Berkeley House, had stood nearby until 1733.

Another type of square is Horse Guards Parade, a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London. This space used to be the Whitehall Palace's tilt-yard, where tournaments were held in the time of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth's I birthday was celebrated each year. Now the Parade is the place of such well-known ceremonies as Trooping the Colour on the monarch's official birthday, and also Beating Retreat.

London's West End is the richest part of the city, and its heart is Piccadilly Circus. It is the centre of nightlife. This is London's theatreland, and at night it is bright with electric signs. Under the Circus lies one of the busiest stations of London's underground railway network. This is one of the most popular meeting points of London, probably second only to Trafalgar Square. It is actually quite small, and most people are rather disappointed when they see it for the first time because they had imagined it would be much bigger. Piccadilly Circus is a dynamic and picturesque place with a happy and lively cosmopolitan atmosphere. In the centre of the Circus stands the bronze statue of Eros, the god of love, on a high pedestal above the fountain. It was erected by architect Alfred Gilbert in 1892. Groups of people like to gather around the foot of the statue. They form a brightly colourful picture. Piccadilly Circus is a West End shopping centre. There are many shops with big advertisements, belonging to different foreign firms there.

The most famous among London monuments is Monument to the Great Fire of London, known simply as the Monument. This 61-metre tall Doric column of Portland stone topped with a gilded urn of fire was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. It stands near the northern end of London Bridge, at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, 61 metres from where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. At the time of its construction (between 1671 and 1677) it was the tallest freestanding stone column in the world.

A more modern monument is the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha who died of typhoid in 1861. This monument in the Gothic revival style was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

Among London's more than 240 museums the most important is the British Museum − the biggest museum in London which contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc., and is famous for its library. Other important museums are the Victoria and Albert Museum of applied and decorative arts, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the National Maritime Museum, and the Museum of London. There are also several great art collections in London: Western Art prior to 1900 is at The National Gallery, post-1900 art is at Tate Modern, and the national collection of British Art is at Tate Britain. There is also the National Portrait Gallery which keeps portraits of important Britons of all ages. Both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are situated on the north side of Trafalgar Square, and the British Museum is not far away.

Beginning with Shakespeare's days, London was traditionally the home of the most famous English theatres. Nowadays most of them are concentrated in the West End. Those usually show commercially popular musicals, comedy, and serious dramas. Some theatres, like the National Theatre, The Globe, a modern reconstruction of the home of Shakespeare's troupe or The Royal Court Theatre, are subsidized by the government. London also has many small independent theatres presenting unusual performances.

London has hosted the Olympic Games twice, in 1908 and 1948, and in July, 2005, it was chosen to host the Games in 2012. London will be the first city in the world to have the Summer Olympics three times. The sport that Londoners most like to watch is football; the city has several important football clubs. Wembley Stadium, the national football stadium, is also situated there. London also has two of the most important places to play the popular English sport of cricket, Lord's and The Oval. The world-famous Wimbledon tennis champion­ship is held in Wimbledon in South West London.

8. Make a list of key words to every part of the following plan using text 2C. Complete the table. Speak about London’s sights using this table.

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